Many functions of modern devices in automotive, consumer and industrial applications, such as converting electrical energy and driving an electric motor or an electric machine, rely on semiconductor devices. For example, Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs), Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) and diodes, to name a few, have been used for various applications including, but not limited to switches in power supplies and power converters.
A semiconductor device is usually designed to continuously operate under nominal conditions, according to which, e.g., a load current does normally not exceed a nominal value for more than a predetermined time period.
Occasionally, a semiconductor device may nevertheless become subjected to an overload current that is significantly higher than a nominal load current. For example, the reason for such overload current may be a short circuit in at least one of a component of a power supply and a load.
Even though the semiconductor device may not be designed to continuously operate in the overload state, it may be required that the semiconductor device can withstand the overload current for some period of time without suffering any damages.
However, in order to avoid damage of the semiconductor device due to long-lasting overload situation, it is known to measure the actual load current and to adapt control of the semiconductor device in response to detecting that actual load current exceeds the nominal value.